OVERVIEW
Ukraine shares land borders with Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia. It has maritime access through the Black Sea to the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 24, 1991, and in the process nationalized most of the military assets, including personnel, within its borders. These assets form the core of Ukraine's independent armed forces.
Kiev's post-independence defense policies were codified in...